Danon: Tibi Belongs in Jail, Not Knesset

MK Danny Danon (Likud) on Thursday called for the ejection from the Knesset of MK Ahmed Tibi, who termed terrorists “holy martyrs”

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David Lev, 19/01/12 12:06

MK Danon

Israel news photo: Flash 90

MK Danny Danon (Likud) on Thursday called for the ejection from the Knesset of MK Ahmed Tibi, who termed terrorists “holy martyrs” (“shaheed”). “Tibi is a traitor and his comments incite terrorism,” said Danon. “He should be taken out of the Knesset and put behind bars.”

Last week, it was revealed Wednesday, Tibi praised the Palestinian Authority’s “martyrs” at a ceremony held last week on the occasion of "Palestinian Martyrs Day” and sponsored by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The ceremony, which was broadcast on official PA TV, was translated by the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) research organization, which presented the translated video on its website.

“In the history of the peoples and their battles, the Palestinian shaheed (martyr) is the height of glory,” Tibi said, among other things, adding that “there is no higher value than death for the sake of Allah. The martyr is the one who breaks through and with his blood draws the journey to freedom and liberation.”

Danon said that Tibi's comments were completely unacceptable. “Tibi has exceeded the limitations of his Knesset immunity with this action, supporting violence against the State of Israel, by supporting the hostile forces who call themselves 'shaheedim.'”

Danon has proposed a law that would enable 80 MKs to vote to throw a fellow member out of the Knesset. “Any Israeli who said what Tibi did would find himself in jail for supporting terrorism,” said Danon. “Israeli democracy has enabled a terrorist supporter to make his way into Israel's parliament, and the time has come to send Tibi to where he belongs – to the parliament in Ramallah.”